Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-01
ing Washington.

pas # woe and dire distress, -
figl;'ns IN tne M1laernessl
ing Washington.
sunday. July 10, 1864, was black day
ito capital of this nation, and every.
(iy in ii, fro. resident Lincoln down
was feared, and with. good reason. that
l. next day would see the Confederate fac
|jus from the lofty dome of the Capitol.
FDy what a very narrow chance Washing
\ escaped capture Mt that time.a matter
hours instead of days-is not generally
kovn. Ny regiment was among the troops
|at wero reaching the periled city as fast
steam could bring them, and therefore I
Ia good opportunity to know what tre-
knlo,ls dangerthe nation escaped in those
fical days.
Some people, taking very narrow view
the military situation at that time, have
Ia: well, suppose Washington had
klen2 the enemy could not have held
There would have been furry for o
5 days, and then the city would have
EN- evacuated"
Whether General Early could have held
/! not as permanent possession, is ,,of
he consequence. He could certainly
We held it long enough to have disheart-
I'd, if not demoralized, the whole North.
[lnt would have been compelled to de-
troops enough to retake it, and it
rll have been necessary to raise the
ge Of Richmond and, Petersburg, or to
eaty plotract that siege. We may family
lsne the effect that would have been
sluced in Europe by the news that
Hbngton was in the hands of the Con-
is.ates 1t was not yet too late in the
ITO talk seriously about recognizing the
Flthesn Confederacy-it would not have
.loo late for France and England, at
aa-after such blow as that.
On tho whole, it is difficult to think Of a
rsoi greater danger to the Union cause
En presented itself on TINT very Black
play at Washington, July 10, 1864.
i. people who were within its de-
just then will remember something
about week railroad and telegraph
trzication with the North had been
|es The supply of provisions was
hns short. The forts around the city
Fporly garrisoned by a scanty force,
of whom were veterans and others
hundred-day militia. Clerks in the
Eaments and employees of the Quarter
Ter General were hurriedly armed and
out to do duty as soldiers against the
tederate veterans of a dozen cam
ns. A gunboat lay at the wharf in the
Paac, with steam up, ready to take the
Nisat and other high officers Of the
eminent down to Fortress Monroe as
as IL the danger should become immi-
The danger was certainly getting to
Emlnent enough! From Fort Stevens.
lis III plain sight of the capital, the
son saw that Sunday, away off on the
roads,, the clouds Of dust arising
the hoofs of NIcCausland's cavalry,
D was the advance of General Early's
During that day and the next the
columns OF the Confederates, march
trough torturing heat and dust, were
u INTO position outside the fortifica-
ana by evening of the 18th the gar
Cf the north forts looked over upon
thousand of the enemy.
w, 1t will be asked, could they ever
oeen permitted to get there? How
u possible for Washington to have
,a aienaeed In this way. duling the
ssat OF the war? And how did re-
y Ss happen to arrive in the very
VI ame, and where did they come
story reads like romance; is more
'aAilns than romance, because it is
u'h' Probably II somebody should
=, novel, and put into it the military
'la1 happened in far distant regions
country during the previous few
winch directly influenced the men
~ relief of Washington at that time.
'2le would say the whole thing was
lction. ~ 0'A"N1seA
ms me tell that story, with exact truth
S ua.es, names, and persons. 1t is not
a. a. u 10 mention anybody by way of
~ lne plain factsp.show that some
H. People dldnot know near as much
~. sl'uat1on of affairs as they should |
r 10 80 back to the Both day of June,
so weeks before.
.,. Va the banks of the Mississippi,
ii. H. q, above Port Hudson on the
;Sa, me Nineteenth Army Corps was
IN ,,0a' IN NE fatigues of the Red River
y l., we had been there over
ai nu oloer came-suddenly, as such
s,a, Ns dld-to pull up and 90
sns sa '!ae immediately. We did SO,
~ no' I'LL we We're out of the Mis-
led u ,l scanning across the Gulf, that
Is' mat we were COMING North.
asS; n ene orders for this movement
aaS,- aa about ten days before,
in ~ ~ thought that there was any
10 1 La quarter. Our corps was to
IN =, of' re. Monroe, when it would
era W Clty Point, to be put in
8 siege. e' u '4'' "eufy'
as s' =; time-June 30-the Sixth
,s Of - ~ camp near Petersburg, never
tee@iv 'he astonishing orders they
Washington the garrisons of the
,be pI routine duty, never suspect
IS nav, We're any flags of the stars
y StaN than Petersburg. And
lch canton and General Halleck
Ltino ,oncerned to know how Grant
hins, On; and there was no end OF
|h;p s every day between City Point
20 oI ing up the threads of the story,
lsn' ae ~ TO the Goth of May pre-
GENERAL Hunter took com.